There are many reasons for securing items, and ways to secure items. In some cases, items must be secured in place, either while the item is in use or during transportation. One of the most widely used devices for securing is a strap. Once an item has been placed at a desired location or in position, a strap is placed around the item and around another strong, stable, adjacent item. For example, cargo containers and boxes are often strapped to a truck for transportation. The strap will maintain a container or box in position and keep it from falling off the truck.
One of the benefits of a strap is as a result of a straps flexible nature, it can be wrapped around many types of items and used in many types of environments. Certain items or cargo must be especially secure during use or transportation. For items or cargo such as this, a ratcheting strap is typically utilized. A length of strap will have a ratcheting device on one end. Once an item or cargo is in place, the strap will be put around the item or cargo, and around an adjacent item. The strap end will then be inserted into the ratcheting device, which will pull the strap end through by the ratcheting motion, thereby providing a much tighter and stronger hold than could be accomplished by manually hand-pulling the strap. Once a strap is tightened and the item or cargo secure, the ratcheting device is locked, thus maintaining the tight hold of the strap.
Straps with ratcheting devices are very popular and widely used. There are some drawbacks though to using a ratcheting strap. One of the most significant drawbacks is that all of the high-tensioned strap securement is maintained by the ratcheting device. While ratcheting devices are manufactured to a high standard and are typically strong, robust devices, there is the possibility of malfunction or failure. When this occurs the results can often be devastating, and can include loss of life, injury and/or loss of the item or cargo.
The obvious solution to this problem would be to provide a back-up securement means for a ratcheting strap. Optimally, a back-up would be easy to use and be a part of the strap, as opposed to an external, add-on device. An additional securement means would not only add extra protection to an item or cargo, but could also potentially save lives and prevent injury.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any literature or patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. However, the following U.S. patents are considered related:
PAT. NO.INVENTORISSUED5,746,401Condon5 May 19986,637,077Doty28 Oct. 20032013/03333169Durand19 Dec. 2013
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,401 patent discloses a universal pipe hanger strap for hanging a pipe to a building structure comprising the strap has first and second ends and a plurality of ratchet teeth along at least the sides thereof. A ratchet buckle on the first end of the strap receives the second end of the strap, and latching pawls latchingly engaging the teeth. A universal attachment bracket is spaced intermediate the first and second ends.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,077 patent discloses an adjustable strap having two loops of different lengths at each end, and a tensioning mechanism on the strap for adjusting the length and tension of the overall strap. S-hooks are placed on each of the short loops with an open but closable receiving hook positioned to hook the longer loop when the latter is routed back to the short loop. The short and long loops are configured to lie in parallel planes such that the strap may be used in a single loop configuration and have a flat side profile.
The 2013/03333169 publication application disclose a strap binder that includes a main frame and spool mounted for rotation inside the main frame. The spool has an outer surface and includes a first strap receiving passageway extending inside the pool between opposite first and second openings located on the outer surface of the spool, and a second straps-receiving passageway extending inside the pool from a third opening located on the outer surface of the spool to at least the first passageway. Also disclosed is a method of adjusting a strap in length and a ratchet strap binder including an elongated strap passing inside the at least one strap-receiving passageway.
For background purposes and indicative of the art to which the invention relates, reference may be made to the following remaining patents found in the patent search.
PAT. NO.INVENTORISSUEDD681,411Qin et al7 May 2013D703,898Neu et al29 Apr. 2014D729,026Qin et al12 May 20153,672,003Morgan27 Jun. 19724,252,158McDade24 Feb. 19815,271,606Kamper21 Dec. 19935,516,246Helton14 May 19965,692,269Kamper2 Dec. 19975,852,852Rigal29 Dec. 19986,044,669Levi4 Apr. 20007,392,973Hsieh1 Jul. 20087,861,382Madachy et al4 Jan. 20118,037,580Huang18 Oct. 20118,209,821Chen3 Jul. 20128,370,997Wright12 Feb. 20138,459,914Tatina11 Jun. 20138,511,951Yacucha20 Aug. 20138,631,544Shotey at al21 Jan. 20148,763,209Kavarsky et al1 Jul. 20142003/0000047Mamie et al2 Jan. 20032004/0094650Huang20 May 20042006/0179616Krause et al17 Aug. 20062006/0213941Sweeney28 Sep. 20062007/0033772Brownlee et al15 Feb. 20072007/0122247Madachy et al31 May 20072007/0125816Myers7 Jun. 20072008/0115335McCay22 May 20082008/0307618Huang18 Dec. 20082009/0025185Banes29 Jan. 20092010/0071174Adcock25 Mar. 20102010/0180412Huang22 Jul. 20102011/0041301Liang24 Feb. 20112011/0167599Wright14 Jul. 20112012/0110801Joubert et al10 May 20122012/0241545Borntrager27 Sep. 20122012/0279020Riedrich8 Nov. 20122012/0282057Tatina8 Nov. 20122013/0025098Smith31 Jan. 20132015/0136626Hagan et al21 May 2015